1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to planters and the proper drainage and watering of living plants kept within such planters, and more particularly to a drainage and support insert for planters which improves the drainage of water from the soil of potted plants while maintaining a reservoir for water below the surface of the insert.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Living plants, flowers and trees are often kept in containers around the house or office both for decorative and functional reasons. Many types of planters are known which provide various advantages with respect to the maintenance and/or appearance of the plant. For example, because the moisture content of the soil in a planter varies more dramatically than the moisture content of natural soil, planters have been developed to sustain a certain moisture content of the soil over a period of time to prevent the soil from drying out and damaging the plant. Likewise, planters have been designed to avoid flooding the soil and root system of plants with water, typically through drainage of excess water through the bottom of the planter. The need to balance the moisture level of plants growing in planters is therefore of critical importance in the design of any home or office planter.
Planters have been designed for reasons unrelated to moisture content of the soil. For example, flowerpot trays have been designed to protect substrata, such as carpet or other flooring materials, from damage caused by the weight and moisture placed on the substrata. Trays and saucers have also been designed to fit inside a planter. Typically, these are inserted into a planter prior to charging the planter with soil and serve to keep the soil from blocking the drainage openings in the bottom of the planter. Water must be able to drain through the insert and eventually out of the bottom of the planter. Preferably, air will also be permitted to circulate under the insert to promote evaporation of excess water and air root pruning.
One approach to balancing the moisture content of the soil within a planter is to create a reservoir of water in the bottom of the planter so that water can be transmitted to the soil and roots as needed. Planters and plant containers are known which store a supply of water near the base for use as a reservoir. This is typically accomplished either by a removable drain plug or by forming the drain as an inward protrusion from the base of the planter so as to allow for a certain volume of water to occupy the space below the drain. In the later case, water is removed from the planter only when the water level rises above the elevated drain height. Commonly, gravel is introduced into such a planter to avoid blocking the drain passageway with soil. However, in order to avoid overwatering the plant, it is necessary to keep the reservoir of water in the bottom of the planter from saturating the lower roots and surrounding soil. Accordingly, a supporting insert, such as a tray or saucer, is commonly placed into the planter and maintained above the reservoir to separate the soil and the root system from the reservoir.
Current insert designs have inadequately addressed the problem of maintaining an optimal moisture level within the soil. Previous designs either do not permit water to pass upward through the insert, resulting in an undesirably low moisture level of the soil, or more commonly, merely operate as a sieve allowing all of the water to drain from the soil. Because the proper moisture level of the soil is critical to the growth and maintenance of plant life, there is a need for a planter insert capable of draining water from the soil without drying the soil excessively. For those planters capable of storing a reservoir of water below the level of the soil, it is also desirable to have an insert which permits the water in the reservoir to moisten the soil.